High TSH

[NFFC_NO1_FAN]

Hi I wonder if anyone can help I had some bloods taken last week which showed high TSH but I currently take 200mg of Levothroxine so not sure why it is high?

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Can you share your most recent thyroid blood test results NFFC_NO1_FAN? I think its several years since you last posted (welcome back!) Do also show ranges, as these can vary between laboratories.

Have you tested key thyroid vitamins recently; ferritin, folate, B12 & vit D as having these optimal supports thyroid health.

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to Buddy195]

Hi yes I have to have B12 Injections,my Vitamin D is 50 my Folate is 5.7 not sure about ferritin,my TSh is 4.6 range 0.3-4.3 so not overly out,I've got a couple of other high reading ESR,Total Protein and Triglycerides I don't know whether these would change the reading? And thankyou

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

Can you supply ranges (in brackets after results) as these can vary between laboratories.

TSH should always be under 2, with most members reporting they feel best with TSH under 1.

Was FT3 and FT4 tested? These give a complete picture of your thyroid health, rather than TSH alone.

What time was the blood draw? Did you leave your daily Levo dose until after the draw?

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to Buddy195]

These are the results the blood test was done at 1.30pm and no I took it as normal in the morning with the rest of my medication

Blood test results

[greygoose in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

Your TSH is high - and would have been higher if the blood draw had been before 9 am - because your FT4 is so low. It's right at the bottom of the range, which is rediculous when taking 200 mcg levo. But...

I took it as normal in the morning with the rest of my medication

this could be the problem. I don't know what medication you're on, but whatever it is, it should not be taken at the same time as your levo. It is blocking absorption. There should be at least a two hour gap between taking levo and taking anything else - sometimes four hours.

So, in short, that is why your TSH is high.

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to greygoose]

Hi Greygoose thankyou for replying I take alot of medication from blood pressure tablets to painkillers I have never been told not to take any other medication at the same tike as my Levothroxine so will be bringing this up when I see my GP that's for sure

[greygoose in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

He won't know! They know nothing about thyroid or how to treat it. Lots of GPs tell patients that it's fine to take all their medication at the same time - they haven't a clue! But, we the patients know better because we've lived it. To maximise absorption of thyroid hormones they need to be taken at least two hours away from all other medications/supplements, and one hour before food/two hours after food. Your blood test results are witness to that.

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to greygoose]

Thankyou Greygoose I was never told this!!! I'm due to have another test so from now on I will take them without all my other medication and meal,I can't believe most doctors don't know this it's frightening!!!

[greygoose in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

Frightening indeed! But, then again, do they really not know this? Or is their plan just to keep us sick so that they can prescribe a whole host of other drugs along side levo, like pain killers, blood pressure medication and, of course, statins! Call me a conspiracry theorist but I sometimes find it difficult to believe that they can really be that ignorant.

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to greygoose]

Well I certainly wouldn't put it past some of them!!! Some can't get you out the door fast enough and the one GP is trust you can never get to see!! No I agree with you I think it's to much hassle to do all the correct tests so they just skip those and stick with the simple ones!!!

[greygoose in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

And, of course, there's always the matter of the cost! We hypos need a lot of testing and that costs the surgery money. And they're trying to cut down on costs, so cut down on the testing they're willing to do. Except for cholesterol, of course, they'll test that a the drop of a hat! Because that might mean they can start prescribing statins, and they like doing that. Unbelievable!

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to greygoose]

Yes exactly I never thought of that it's about the cost nevermind us!!! Oh yes I've got a call this week about that and high Triglycerides which goes along side let's see what they say I bet they try giving me more medication!!!

[greygoose in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

I bet they will!

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to greygoose]

I'll let you know

[Dryski in reply to greygoose]

Statins or the new pre diabetes forcing meds ahead of time. I won't do either. Just a racket.

[greygoose in reply to Dryski]

Agreed.

[Brightness14 in reply to greygoose]

Me too.

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to Brightness14]

I won't be taking any statins I'm already on alot of medication and certainly don't want to be taking anymore unless it was absolutely necessary!!!

[B12again in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

I can't believe most doctors don't know this it's frightening!!!

That’s only the beginning. 🤕

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to B12again]

Hi B12again It seems that way it took them long enough to find I had B12 defiency so I'm not holding very much hope unfortunately 😔

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

I urge you to read the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) for the levothyroxine you take - AND the PILs for all the other medicines you take.

A typical PIL for levothyroxine will say something like this:

The usual dosage is:

Adults up to 50 years old

• the usual starting dose for adults is 50 to

100 micrograms daily, preferably taken

before breakfast.

mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

Also read section 2 of the PILs. That lists a considerable range of medicines which can interfere with levothyroxine.

My UK medicines document has links to the PILs for all UK levothyroxine products:

helvella's medicines documents (UK and Rest of the World) can be found here:

helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines

helvella has created, and tries to maintain, documents containing details of all thyroid hormone medicines in the UK and, in less detail, many others around the world. There is now a specific world desiccated thyroid document.

I highly recommend viewing on a computer screen, or a decent sized tablet, rather than a phone. Even I find it less than satisfactory trying to view them on my phone.

helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines - UK

The UK document contains up-to-date versions of the Summary Matrixes for levothyroxine tablets, oral solutions and also liothyronine available in the UK. Includes descriptions of tablet markings which allow identification. Latest updates include all declared ingredients for all UK products and links to Patient Information Leaflets, etc.

helvella - World Desiccated Thyroid

Contains details of all known desiccated thyroid products.

helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines - RotW

Contains details of all levothyroxine, liothyronine and combination products - excluding desiccated thyroid products. Details available vary by country and manufacturer.

The link below takes you to a blog page which has direct links to the documents from Dropbox and QR codes to make it easy to access from phones. You will have to scroll down or up to find the link to the document you want.

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

[NFFC_NO1_FAN in reply to helvella]

Thankyou Helvella you trust your GP to tell you all the correct information but as Greygoose has told me they don't know about it which is slightly worrying to say the least

[Hidden in reply to NFFC_NO1_FAN]

I doubt you'll get an sense from your GP. I've been taking thyroid meds for 30+ years and moved 4 times (so lots of different GPs and endocrinologists) and not once had anyone ever told me that caffeine affects absorption of Levo, for example. I read it on here and started waiting an hour after taking my Levo before having my morning cup of tea and my absorption & levels significantly improved.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Have you ever had thyroid antibodies checked, to see if your thyroid condition is auto immune?

It would be useful to have FT3 in addition to FT4 and TSH for a complete picture of your thyroid health. If your GP is unable to complete this test, you could look to do this privately, as many forum members do.

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

[NFFC_NO1_FAN]

Hi no I've never had thyroid antibodies checked,and I'll talk to my GP this week about doing the additional tests if they can't do it I will look at doing it privately thankyou for replying.